Shinigami, or death gods, rule the world of Death Note. A shinigami's purpose in life is to kill humans to extend their own lifespan, with the use of a death note. While it may be impossible in real life to become a shinigami, if you're bored with your average human life and want to spice things up, cosplaying as your own original shinigami character can be a way to have fun and prove your love for Death Note. So, what are you waiting for? Here are the ways to become your own shinigami!

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Steps

1

Pick a name for yourself. Every shinigami goes by an exotic name. It's the only way for other shinigami, or even humans, to identify you. Try using Japanese adjectives to give your name a unique, shinigami-esque sound, while describing your personality. Try names such as Daku (dark) or Kandaina (generous) to comply with your shinigami's tastes. If you want, make up your own words!

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2

Have an addiction to fruit. The most well-known shinigami, Ryuk, always had a taste for red apples in the human world. Other shinigami, such as Midora, also seem to take a liking to humans' fruits. In her case, bananas. Try picking your favorite fruit, and be sure to pick one that you wouldn't mind eating very often. Shinigami that are addicted to fruit, as Ryuk explains, experience withdrawal symptoms if they don't eat that fruit in a while.

3

Get shinigami eyes. Okay, so you don't actually have to get shinigami eyes, you just have to pretend you have them. Wear contacts to change your eye color to red, yellow, or maybe even purple. The purpose of shinigami eyes is to see the full name and remaining lifespan of a human, to enable a shinigami to write that human's name in their death note and thus extend their own lifespans. However, be warned that shinigami eyes do not work on death note users or other shinigami, so if you're cosplaying alongside a death note user or shinigami, be careful as to not acknowledge the fact that you can use your eyes on them-because you can't.

4

Figure out what your shinigami looks like. All shinigami look different. They can take on an almost human shape, such as Ryuk, or even a completely odd and non-humanoid form such as in the case of Nu. Some shinigami may even meet in the middle, having almost an even split between human and non-human features, such as Sidoh. This is the aspect of creating a shinigami OC where you have the most freedom, because shinigami can look very different from each other. Start by drawing some various designs and pick your favorite to develop on. Keep in mind that all shinigami have wings, and it's up to you to decide how you want them to look.

5

Round up some supplies. You're going to need quite the assortment of supplies to make your vision of becoming a shinigami come to life, er, un-life. To begin, a death note is for certain required by all means! Without a death note, a shinigami has no means to survive whatsoever. You're also going to need costume materials to make yourself look like a shinigami, including the contact lenses mentioned in step #3. The amount of costume accessories and materials needed varies, depending on the complexity of your shinigami's design. For wings, try wrapping fabric around a wire rig, but letting it hang freely at the bottom.

6

Write Shinigam-ish. Although some shinigami are able to read, write, and speak human languages fluently, all shinigami understand the shinigami's basic alphabet. This language is what is written on Misa Amane's death note, due to the fact that her shinigami, Rem, has difficulty writing Japanese. It is not expected that you would actually understand this fictional language, but writing in various scribbles may give the impression of a foreign alphabet.

7

Adhere to the shinigami customs. Believe it or not, the shinigami do have a strict code of law, enforced by the King of Death and Armonia Justin Beyondormason. Death Note Wiki can provide a good look into the shinigami's rules as well as the typical behavior of a god of death. Some shinigami choose to disobey the typical customs proper for a shinigami, such as apathy and content, but it's rare to find a shinigami willing to break the rules set for them. If these laws are disobeyed, shinigami may be punished on a 9-1 rank, with 9 being the weakest form of punishment, and 1 being the most severe. Any rank from 3-1 will result in the shinigami's death.

8

Hang out with other shinigami. Or maybe even a human! Have a shinigami get together and decorate your house like the shinigami realm. Invite your friends, tell them to dress as their shinigami OC! Going to anime conventions as an OC is never recommended, but it can be attempted by anyone willing to do so.

9

Have fun and be realistic! Remember, this is only cosplay. You will not ever become a shinigami or a killer! But warnings aside, enjoy yourself!

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